To address issues on access to safe drinking water for households and evacuation centers, the Department of Science and Techno-logy turned over 200 ceramic water filters (CWF) to the disaster risk reduction management offices (MDRRMO) of Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Ifugao.
Seventy units were turned over on May 26 to the Kalinga PDRRMO, 65 units to the Mountain Province PDRRMO on May 31 and 65 units to the Ifugao PDRRMO on June 4.
The CWF is a patent innovative solution of the DOST-Industrial Technology Development Institute and was rolled out to the different regions starting 2012.
For Cordillera, the project was introduced in 2013 in Barangay Bila, Bauko, Mountain Province in partnership with the local government of Bauko and Barangay Bila.
The CWF in Bila is the source of the CWF units being deployed to the different PDRRMOs in the region, which is part of the DOST-Cordillera’s local grants-in-aid project for DRRM and targeted to be completed this year.
The CWF technology is portable and uses red clay filtering agent with nanotechnology silver coating with anti-microbial feature. This system uses the principle of gravity and can filter tap or deep well water at the rate of two liters per hour.
It is cheaper than commercially available filter systems. The filter can last for one year.
The clay used for the project is locally sourced and processed in the ceramic filter facility on a private lot in Barangay Bila.
To establish the facility, the DOST central office provided P2.28 million; DOST-Cordillera with P90,000; and Bauko with P2.35M.
The project is not only in line with DOST’s thrust to make local technologies work for the people particularly on safe and effective water sanitation but also to support the livelihood of communities. – DOST release
